Happy Place

What have I been up to lately, you ask, while I’ve been neglecting my blog? For the most part, it’s a typical, boring answer. Mike’s slammed at work, and the girls have been keeping me jumping at home as I plan and schedule for a fun summer packed with photo shoots. But most recently, I got to spend a magical week in my Happy Place with my little family. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t stress for a month beforehand about this vacation. Or should I say “trip,” because as a dear friend pointed out to me, “Honey, you’re traveling with young children. It won’t be a vacation!” She was right, and it was the perspective I needed going into it. But, despite my anxiety over how our little wild card would be during this adventure (if Mae is unhappy…it’s game over), I am so glad Mike and I made time for this getaway this year per our tradition. Visiting the beach…a beach…ANY beach…every year is a promise we made to each other on our honeymoon. The tradition has become even more important to me as the years have gone by. My yearly beach time has become sacred. A deep breath, a prayer answered. A chance to wind down, to simplify in a way I can’t seem to do elsewhere. To reconnect with Mike. To bond with all three of my girls on a deeper level. This year, we were back at our favorite spot: Marco Island, Florida. Beautiful, familiar, easy. Marco Island also has the added benefit of being the place we visited when I was pregnant with Hannah…before her 20 week Spina Bifida diagnosis…before our world caved in and our lives changed forever. I always feel especially close to Hannah here. She is in the fresh breeze and the gorgeous light. And she must have been smiling down on us, because it was a perfect week. Amazing weather, happy, light-hearted moods, awesome food, great sleep (yeah, Mae!)…it exceeded every tempered hope I had for this time together. Watching Eloise and Mae’s joy as they explored and played on the beach filled my heart in a way I can’t honestly describe. It’s a feeling we share with each other…something basic and natural and inherent inside of us that connects us all. I feel so incredibly blessed to have made these memories.